UK Snuff Bottle Collectors Meeting

UK Snuff Bottle Collectors met on December 13th 2018 in the Education Room at the Percival David Foundation. We were invited as guests of Jessica Harrison-Hall and Carol Michaelson and had the interesting task of commenting on stellar porcelain snuff bottles and the entire group of blue and white bottles in the Museum Collection. 18 of us sat around a square of tables and were handed examples and given sheets to comment on the pieces. This will help add detail and commentary to the Museum database. It was a chance to handle bottles (wearing protective gloves) some of which we had seen illustrated in Jessica Harrison-Hall’s lecture last year.

Lunch in the Great Court Restaurant was most enjoyable chatting with old friends and getting to know a recently enrolled society member who was meeting with the group for the first time. At 5.30 pm we assembled again in the Lord Mayor’s Parlour at Westminster City Hall for a drinks reception and viewing of the Westminster snuff and tobacco boxes by kind invitation of the Right Worshipful the Lord Mayor of Westminster, Councillor Lindsey Hall. We were given the opportunity to look at objects at close hand, including snuff boxes with inscriptions celebrating historic events, and were treated to an introductory talk by Nigel Israel FSA, FGA, DGA and Argentarius (Silver Expert) for the Past Overseers Society.

We will be meeting at a similar event next December at the British Museum and plan an event in the summer, either in Edinburgh or Bristol. Do contact (susan@snuffbottlepages.com)or Jeremy Levine (jerryl@compuserve.com) for further details.